


Buy You a New Life

by eerian_sadow



Series: Avalon [31]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Gen, Moving On, Rich Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-31
Updated: 2009-07-31
Packaged: 2018-09-18 22:56:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9406610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: Skywarp tries to get Starscream to move into his apartment. Repeatedly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this is another of the post-Skyfire, before military and Decepticons fics. takes place several months after "Reach Out".

“I really wish you’d consider it,” Skywarp said, handing Starscream an energon cube. “It’s not such a bad place.”

“You’ve found five different ways to make the same request in the last groon.” Starscream took a drink of the energon and leveled a frustrated glare at his friend. “And I’ve found five different ways to answer it. Can’t you respect my wishes enough to stop asking?”

“Sorry.” the purple Seeker looked down into his energon. “I just worry about you. You keep telling me how hard it’s been and I just want to help.”

“I don’t want charity. I’m doing okay.”

“Okay is not good enough, Starscream. One of these days someone is going to deactivate you while you’re recharging under a bridge or something and I won’t even know what happened to you.”

Starscream was surprised at the intensity of the other mech’s words. He knew Skywarp liked him, knew the other Seeker considered him a friend, but he hadn’t realized just how much. “I’m sorry.”

“And you say that you don’t want charity, but you’ll let me buy you energon every cycle.” Skywarp took a pointed drink from his own cube. “I think that’s more charity than offering you the spare berth in my apartment so that you have someplace _safe_ to recharge.”

“I’m not going to win this argument, am I?”

“Not a chance.”

The scientist took another drink from his cube. “Fine. But this doesn’t mean I’m going to stay for longer than it takes to find a real job and get my own place.”

Skywarp grinned at him.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“So how does a Military Academy student afford off campus lodgings?” Starscream asked as they flew to Skywarp’s apartment. “I thought you weren’t allowed to have outside employment.”

“My creator and his trine own the building. It’s close enough to the Academy that they let me fly in.” there was a dismissive tone in the purple Seeker‘s voice that would have been a shrug if they were in root mode. “I guess one of them knows somebody.”

Starscream wondered, briefly, if he should turn his friend down after all. Mech’s who knew people in high places were still causing him no end of trouble, despite the fact that the inquiries into Skyfire’s disappearance were long over.

“We’ll need to go in through the office so we can get you a key-card.” Skywarp interrupted his train of thought--fortunately before it turned toxic. “That way you can come and go as needed.”

“Thanks,” Starscream replied, not entirely comfortable with how comfortable his friend was with this whole idea. Skywarp had obviously had far too long to think it over.

Starscream’s feeling of discomfort increased as they transformed and touched down in front of the apartment building. It was huge, ostentatious and looked far more expensive than any place he had ever been inside before. Skywarp had told him that his family was well off, but Starscream hadn’t understood just how well off until this moment.

It wasn’t the Crystal Towers, but this building was definitely in the high rent district.

“Look, Skywarp, I don’t think--” Starscream turned and started to walk away.

“Nuh uh. You’re not backing out now.” Skywarp grabbed his arm and dragged him through the doors.

The scientist offlined his optics as he was pulled inside. He didn’t want to see the looks the staff was going to be directing at him--he knew he wasn’t well kept enough to deserve to be in a place this nice. He let Skywarp guide him and hoped that no one would actually say anything.

“Is this the roommate you’ve been telling us all about?” a femme asked when they stopped.

“Yep. This is Starscream. We stopped to get his key before we went up.”

“Of course.” Starscream heard a few keys tapping, then the femme said in a stage whisper, “He’s really quite handsome.”

He hung his head in embarrassment.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Sorry about Slipstream,” Skywarp said once they stepped into the lift. “She flirts with everyone; I didn’t think to warn you about it.”

Starscream wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He knew he wasn’t handsome--not right now at least, with his scuffed and scratched paint and badly maintained frame. He also didn’t want to think about anyone flirting with him; he had enough trouble with basic social interactions still. And he certainly didn’t want a relationship while he was still healing from losing Skyfire.

“It’s fine,” he finally replied. “I’ll just avoid her like rust in the future.”

Skywarp chuckled. “That’s what most mechs do.”

The lift moved quickly enough that neither flier had time to be uncomfortable before it opened up on their floor. Skywarp stepped out first, leading the scientist to their door.

“It’s, uh… It’s probably bigger than what you’re used to,” the purple Seeker said, sounding embarrassed for the first time since Starscream had met him.

“Well it’s too late to back out now,” Starscream replied. “I’d have to go back out past Slipstream.”

Skywarp gave him an embarrassed grin and opened the door. “Welcome home.”

Starscream stepped inside and froze in the entryway. Directly across from him was a huge window, looking out across the most beautiful view of the city he had ever seen from inside a building. Before he was conscious of it, he was walking across the room to rest his hands on the glass--and it did feel like real, breakable glass rather than the synthetic substitutes most windows used--and stare outside.

“It doubles as a door, too,” the purple Seeker said, coming up next to him. “I think I use it more than the front door.”

“It’s beautiful, Skywarp.”

“The view is why I picked this apartment, even though it’s too big for one mech.” Skywarp gave him a smile. “So, you want the rest of the tour or are you going to live by the window?”

Starscream smiled back, despite himself. “I’ll take the tour. The view isn’t going anywhere.”

He let the other Seeker lead him away. And when he remembered staring out a much less clear window at a view that was far less spectacular, with a pair of strong arms wrapped around him from behind, it hurt less than he expected.  



End file.
